Staff Account - Journal
This article outlines how to add a Staff Journal in a Staff Account, the privileges required to access the Journal tab, and what information may be recorded in a Staff Journal.
The available optional information such as creating Journal Actions (tasks) for follow-up and linking the Journal to a Standard is also covered in detail.
Privileges: Human Resources at the Site/Service level or 'Human Resources For ALL Staff'
Audience: HR Specialists
Summary
The following list summarises the content of this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:
Who can access this tab?
The 'Journal' tab of a Staff Account is only accessible to those with the 'Human Resources' privilege for the Site/Services this individual works in, or the global 'Human Resources For ALL Staff' privilege.
Assuming Staff have access to a Staff Account but do not have one of the HR privileges, they will see the following notification displayed after selecting the 'Journal' tab:
' Sorry, you do not have sufficient privileges to view or edit human resources information for this staff member'
N.B. By default, Staff are not able to access any of the Human Resources tabs in their own Staff Account, even when they have been granted the global 'Human Resources For ALL Staff' privilege.
How to add a Staff Journal
To add a Staff Journal navigate to the Journals tab and select + Add a new journal:
Once selected, the 'Add Staff Journal' window will open:
The following foundational information is required to be added here in order to create a Journal record:
- Site/Service
- Title
- Journal Type
Whilst Journal Notes can be entered here, they are not required to be added in this step and can be entered/completed from the Journal record once 'Add' has been selected.
More detailed information regarding this is outlined below.
Site/Service
Selecting the relevant Site/Service the Journal relates to is a required field when creating Journals.
The Site/Service options listed are based on the Staff Account privileges the Staff Member creating the Journal has access to.
Staff with high-level global privileges e.g. Human Resources for ALL Services, will see all Site/Services listed and a scroll bar has been provided in these instances to assist with navigating the list:
Staff who only have the 'Human Resource' privilege for the Site/Services they work in will only see those Services displayed:
The Status of each Service, which is noted to the right of the Service name, reflects which Services the Staff Member is currently working in:
- [CURRENT] - currently working in this Service
- [HISTORICAL] - previously worked in this Site/Service but no longer working here
- [NOT USED] - never worked in this Site/Service
Date
By default, when creating a Journal the current date will automatically populate in the 'Date' field:
If the Journal Date needs amending, select the calendar icon to update this field to the relevant date:
Title
The Title is a required field when creating Journals.
Entering a descriptive Title to a Journal is recommended e.g. Performance Appraisal Oct 2022 to effectively reflect the Journal Notes and help distinguish Journals from one another:
Journal Type
Journal Type is also a required field when creating Journals.
When a 'Default Journal Type' has been configured for 'Staff Account records' in System Preferences the Journal Type will automatically prepopulate here.
When no 'Default Journal Type' has been configured, the most appropriate Journal Type must be selected from the options available in the drop-down list:
A default list of Journal Types is included in every SupportAbility installation, however, these can be configured by your organisation as required, to ensure the available options are the most relevant for your organisation. More information is outlined in the Configuring Journals article linked below, for reference.
N.B. While the information in this article is Client-centric, the majority of the configuration still applies to Staff Journals.
Notes
The 'Notes' field is where the actual information is recorded.
When a 'Journal Template' has been configured for specific Journal Types in System Preferences, and one of those Journal Types e.g. Annual Performace Appraisal has been selected in a Journal, the corresponding Template will appear in the Notes field:
Journal Templates serve as a prompt for Staff when completing Journals by suggesting the key information which is required to be added for that Journal Type.
Notes can either be added now or once the Journal record has been has been created.
Adding the Journal
Once all of the required fields have been completed and Notes added here if preferred, select the '+ Add' button to create the Journal record:
Selecting this button effectively creates the Journal record and navigates you to the Journal record, where additional information may be added as required.
Additional Journal Details information
Once the Journal record has been created, Staff may update the Journal Notes as required and add additional information as follows:
- Setting additional privacy barriers
- Adding & Deleting Tags
- Adding information in the Journal Activity field
- Linking Documents
- Adding and completing Journal Actions
- Linking Standards
Setting additional privacy barriers
Additional privacy barriers are available to restrict access to Staff Journals by selecting the relevant checkbox and then selecting 'Save Journal':
This may be useful when sensitive information requiring further restriction has been recorded.
Once either of these settings has been selected, if the Author does not have the relevant Staff Account privilege, they will no longer be able to view this record and a notification will display on the Journal tab ' These journal entries have been filtered based on your staff account privileges and the service/s you have access to':
Adding & Deleting Tags
Multiple applicable Tags can be added to Journal records to assist with identifying Journals with similar attributes in a Journal Search.
To add a Tag select the '+ Add' button:
The 'Add new Tag' window will open.
Choose the relevant Tag e.g. Staff - Appraisals from the list of available options, then select the '+ Add' button:
N.B. Tags will only be available for selection if Journal Tags have been configured by your organisation in System Preferences. Please see the Configuring Tags article for more information linked below for reference
The Tag has now been added to the Journal record as shown below:
Additional Tags may be added as required by selecting the '+ Add' button.
Deleting a Tag
To delete a Tag from a Journal, simply select the cross on the applicable Tag.
The 'Delete Tag' window will open asking Staff to confirm if they are sure they want to delete the Tag as this change cannot be undone. Selecting the 'Delete' button confirms the intention to proceed and deletes the Tag from the Journal record:
Adding information in the Journal Activity field
'Journal Activity' is a free-text field where information may be recorded for various purposes as required by your organisation:
Linking Documents
A single Document that has already been uploaded to the Staff Member's 'Documents' tab may be linked to a Staff Journal for reference:
Selecting the down arrow in the 'Staff Document' field will display a list of available Documents to link to the Journal:
Once the relevant option has been selected, e.g. Performance Review - 10/10/2022, the Document Name and Document Date will display along with buttons to either download or view the Document file:
Remember to select the 'Save Journal' button to save the link to the selected Staff Document.
Information regarding uploading Staff Documents to the Document tab of a Staff Account is outlined in the Staff Account - Documents article, linked below for reference.
Adding and completing Journal Actions
A Journal Action is effectively a task that requires action and can be assigned to a specific Staff Member for follow-up.
Actions are an optional feature of Journals, however, multiple Actions may be added to a Journal record as required.
To add a Journal Action, select the '+ Add Action' button in the Actions section of the Journal record:
Once 'Add Action' has been selected, the following fields will display for completion:
- Date Due
- Action
- Staff Member
- Status
- Completion
- Completed By
Date Due
Select the relevant Due Date using the calendar icon:
Action
Enter the required Action details:
N.B. While it will be necessary to scroll to view all of the Action detail entered here, the full Action details will display in the Dashboard Notification.
Staff Member
The Journal Author will display in the 'Staff Member' field by default.
Select the down arrow to display a full list of Staff Members. Select the relevant Staff Member from the list you wish to assign the Action to:
To assist with navigating a potentially long list of names, part of the name may be entered at the top of the List which will reduce the list to only display those options that contain the text entered:
By default, Staff are not able to access any of the Human Resources tabs in their own Staff Account, even when they have been granted the global 'Human Resources For ALL Staff' privilege.
Therefore, if an Action requires follow-up, the Journal Action would need to be assigned to another Staff Member with the Human Resources privilege, either for the relevant Site/Service where this Staff Member works, or the global 'Human Resources For ALL Staff' privilege. This Staff Member can then view the task in the 'Incomplete Client Journal Actions' notification portal on their Dashboard, access the Journal, and mark the Action as 'Complete' when appropriate.
Status
When a Journal Action is first added, the Status will display the amber 'Pending' badge by default:
The Status will automatically update when the 'Mark Complete' button is selected. More information on this is outlined below.
Once all of the Action details have been completed select the 'Save Journal' button to save the Action:
Dashboard Notifications for Incomplete Staff Journal Actions
Once an Action has been saved, a corresponding Notification will appear in the 'Incomplete Staff Journal Actions' section on the Dashboard of the person the Action has been assigned to, and the Dashboard of the Journal Author so the Author can monitor its progress:
These will display provided the 'Incomplete Staff Journal Actions' portal has been configured to display on the Dashboard.
Marking the Journal Action Complete
Once the Journal Action task has been completed, the 'Mark Complete' button may be selected by either the Journal Author or the Staff Member the Action was assigned to, assuming they have access to the Journal record, and the Journal has not yet locked:
Once the 'Mark Complete' button is selected the following three fields are updated:
- Status - the Status displays the green 'Complete' badge
- Completion - the 'Mark Complete' button is replaced by the 'Mark Incomplete' button which allows this action to be reversed where required
- Completed By - the name of the person who selected the 'Mark Complete' button and the date it was selected now display in this column
Remember to select 'Save Journal' to save your updates.
Contextual Menu - 'Duplicate' or 'Delete' a Journal Action
Selecting the contextual menu (3 dots to the far right of the Journal Action) displays two functionality options, where you can either 'Duplicate' or 'Delete' an Action:
Remember to select 'Save Journal' to save your updates.
Prompt to create Journal Action
Occasionally an organisation may choose to add a 'Prompt to create Journal Action' for specific Journal Types where relevant. When this Prompt has been configured in System Preferences and one of these Journal Types has been selected for a Journal, a blue notification message will display in two places in the Journal record as a reminder.
In the 'Journal Details' section:
And in the 'Actions' section:
Linking Standards
There are several in-built Standards available in SupportAbility, including:
- Each of the NDIS Practice Standards,
- the National Disability Standards, and the
- DMI Codes (Disability Maintenance Instrument), specific to providers of Supported Employment.
However, it is important to note that your organisation can customise this area of SupportAbility, therefore, what is available to link to a Journal record is dependent on how this has been configured on the Standards tab in System Preferences.
One or more Standards may be linked to a Journal record.
To link a Standard to a Journal, simply select the 'Link Standards' button in the 'Standards' section of the Journal:
This will open the Search function where keywords may be entered to locate the required Standard:
N.B. The NDIS Practice Standards are prefaced with 'QSF' in SupportAbility, representing the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework.
Once the required Standard has been located, select the corresponding 'Link' button.
This Standard will now be linked to the Journal record where Notes may be added to clarify the choice of Standard which has been linked.
Remember to select 'Save Journal' to save the linked Standard.
Contextual Menu - 'View Standard' and 'Remove Link'
Selecting the contextual menu (3 dots to the far right of the Linked Standard) displays two functionality options, where you can either 'View Standard' details, or 'Remove Link' to the Standard:
Remember to select 'Save Journal' to save your updates.
Further information regarding Standards can be found in the Standards in SupportAbility article linked below for reference.